Growth Performance and Ultrasonic Scan of Purebred Berkshire Pigs Housed in Hoop Buildings in Iowa (Trials 3 and 4)

A certified Berkshire program continues to lead niche pork production markets based on its meat quality advantage over commodity-based pork. This economic advantage is especially valuable for smaller, more traditional pork producers. The disadvantages of Berkshire pigs are fatter carcasses, slower gains, and less efficient feed conversion compared with commodity pork production. Consequently, these pigs are often a better fit for less intensive or lower production systems

Backfat Depth and Loin Eye Area Measurements of Purebred Berkshire Pigs Housed in Hoop Buildings in Iowa

The variation in backfat of commodity pork has declined to the point some major packers are no longer measuring backfat depth. From our previous research with Berkshire pigs, a large amount of variation in backfat and loin eye area (LEA) still existed, especially between barrows and gilts. In our previous research, barrows average one inch backfat depth around 210 pounds whereas gilts did not achieve one inch until 260 pounds. This potentially may be a meat quality issue for gilts marketed less than 260 pounds. The objective of these trials was to replicate our previous study and to determine whether these differences persisted within a different set of Berkshire pigs under the same nutritional regimen. Understanding how feed programs and growth rates affect lean and fat deposition rates is a critical aspect to these niche programs in order to maintain consistency and quality of the Berkshire pork products marketed. Overall, barrows averaged an inch of backfat between 230 and 250 lb body weight whereas gilts average backfat was .90 inches at 269 pounds market weight. Only a 30% of the gilts within these two groups were over one inch backfat at market. These differences are crucial when selecting animals for market to achieve the highest desirability in meat quality within the Berkshire marketing system. These differences between barrows and gilts indicate it may be more critical that each are fed differently than in commodity pork production systems

Growth Rate and Feed Intake of Purebred Berkshire Pigs Housed in Hoop Buildings in Iowa

Berkshire pigs make up the majority of the niche market pig population, and although niche pork production has increased across Iowa and the United States and demand continues for high quality pork there remains a lack of production standards for niche pork producers to benchmark their performance against. The Berkshire pigs in our previous studies grew faster and were more efficient in feed conversion than expected. Therefore the objective of this study was to replicate our earlier work, and add to the database of niche pork production. For this group of Berkshire pigs, growth rate was better than earlier research reports, but less than our previous trial. Feed conversions (feed-to-gain) were also better than earlier research but similar to last year’s report. Barrows grew faster and consumed more feed, but gilts were more efficient converting feed to gain. Although seasonal feed intakes differ for both sexes, growth rates were similar within gilts and barrows

The origin of diastereofacial control in allylboration reaction using tartrate ester derived allylboronates: Attractive interactions between the lewis acid coordinated aldehyde carbonyl group and ester carbonyl oxygen

Abstract: Transition-state structures for the allylboration reaction between the tartrate ester and tartramide modified allylboronates and acetaldehyde are located at the B3LYP/6-31G* level of theory. An attractive interaction between the boron-activated aldehyde and the ester or amide carbonyl oxygen lone pair is found to play a major role in the favored transition states 11a and 13. This attractive interaction appears to be electrostatic in origin. However, an n f π* charge-transfer type of interaction has not been ruled out. The distance (2.77 Å) between the aldehydic hydrogen and the carbonyl oxygen in transition state 13 is beyond the sum of van der Waals radii. The formyl C-H‚‚‚O bond angle (109°) in this transition structure deviates far from linearity. Therefore, hydrogen-bonding interactions between the formyl C-H and the amide carbonyl oxygen are considered negligible. The distance (3.81 Å) between the aldehydic oxygen and the amide carbonyl oxygen in the diastereomeric, disfavored transition state 14 is also beyond the van der Waals radii, which suggests that n/n electronic repulsion plays a lesser role in stereodifferentiation in the allylboration reaction than originally proposed

Lean and Fat Deposition Measurements for Purebred Berkshire Pigs Housed in Hoop Barns in Iowa

Previous research on meat quality of pork has demonstrated that purebred Berkshires have advantages over most commodity based pork. Therefore a Certified Berkshire Pork program has developed and is a vital niche market in Iowa and the United States that provides economic opportunity for a growing number of producers. This research has also documented that Berkshires have a significantly poorer feed conversion than other breeds, thus raising their cost of production. Understanding how feed programs and growth rates affect lean and fat deposition rates is a critical aspect to these niche programs in order to maximize profitability and quality of the Berkshire pork products marketed. From these two trials there are differences between the two trials for both barrows and gilts that may not be accounted for by seasonal affects. Overall, barrows averaged an inch of backfat between 200 and 240 lb body weight whereas gilts approached this backfat depth between 260 and 300 lb. Lean deposition rates were different between barrows and gilts and between trials. This difference makes it critical when selecting animals for marketing and achieving consistency in meat quality within a marketing system. The differences between barrows and gilts indicate it may be more critical that each are fed differently than in commercial production systems

Feed Intake and Growth Rate in Purebred Berkshire Pigs Housed in Hoop Buildings in Iowa

Niche marketing continues to grow in Iowa and the United States as the demand for high quality pork increases for both in home and out of home consumption. The majority of pigs in demand for these markets are Berkshires, with many raised in bedded hoop barns. Berkshires have been shown to have significant advantages in meat eating quality, with significantly poorer feed conversion and higher feed costs. However very little information exists as to how these pigs grow and the nutritional needs to optimize both growth and feed efficiency. Producers have little production data to evaluate and adjust feeding programs. These trials were initiated to help characterize these parameters and allow Berkshire producers a means to be more effective within their production and marketing system. This trial demonstrated that Berkshire pigs grow as fast but consume more feed than expected from traditional commodity genetic lines, resulting in a challenging feed conversion ratio. Barrows grow faster, consumed more feed than gilts, but gilts were more efficient converting feed to gain. Although seasonal feed intakes differ for both sexes, growth rates were similar within gilts and barrows. This information can perhaps be used in designing rations and feed budgeting systems that can lower the feed costs for production of Berkshire pork

Insecticide resistance enhances male reproductive success in a beetle

peer reviewe

Scrotal cancer: Incidence, survival and second primary tumours in the Netherlands since 1989

Background: Since the 1970s there have been few epidemiological studies of scrotal cancer. We report on the descriptive epidemiology of scrotal cancer in the Netherlands. Methods: Data on all scrotal cancer patients were obtained from the Netherlands Cancer Registry (NCR) in the period 1989-2006 and age-standardised incidence rates were calculated also according to histology and stage. Relative survival was calculated and multiple primary tumours were studied. Results: The overall incidence rate varied around 1.5 per 1 000 000 person-years, most frequently being squamous cell carcinoma (27%), basal cell carcinoma (19%) and Bowen's disease (15%). Overall 5-year relative survival was 82%, being 77% and 95% for patients with squamous and basal cell carcinoma, respectively. In all, 18% of the patients were diagnosed with a second primary tumour. Conclusion: The incidence rate of scrotal cancer did not decrease, although this was expected; affected patients might benefit from regular checkups for possible new cancers

Challenges in Estimating Insecticide Selection Pressures from Mosquito Field Data

Insecticide resistance has the potential to compromise the enormous effort put into the control of dengue and malaria vector populations. It is therefore important to quantify the amount of selection acting on resistance alleles, their contributions to fitness in heterozygotes (dominance) and their initial frequencies, as a means to predict the rate of spread of resistance in natural populations. We investigate practical problems of obtaining such estimates, with particular emphasis on Mexican populations of the dengue vector Aedes aegypti. Selection and dominance coefficients can be estimated by fitting genetic models to field data using maximum likelihood (ML) methodology. This methodology, although widely used, makes many assumptions so we investigated how well such models perform when data are sparse or when spatial and temporal heterogeneity occur. As expected, ML methodologies reliably estimated selection and dominance coefficients under idealised conditions but it was difficult to recover the true values when datasets were sparse during the time that resistance alleles increased in frequency, or when spatial and temporal heterogeneity occurred. We analysed published data on pyrethroid resistance in Mexico that consists of the frequency of a Ile1,016 mutation. The estimates for selection coefficient and initial allele frequency on the field dataset were in the expected range, dominance coefficient points to incomplete dominance as observed in the laboratory, although these estimates are accompanied by strong caveats about possible impact of spatial and temporal heterogeneity in selection